Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoelectric element made of a semiconductor material having the Peltier effect or the Seebeck effect and a thermoelectric module provided with the same.
Background Information
Devices utilizing so-called the Peltier effect have been used in recent years. In the devices, when electric current is applied in a predetermined direction to a thermoelectric element including p-type and n-type semiconductor elements joined through a pair of electrodes, heat generation is caused on one end part of the thermoelectric element whereas heat absorption is caused on the other end part of the thermoelectric element.
For example, Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2007-48916 (disclosed on Feb. 22, 2007) discloses a structure of a thermoelectric module intended to provide a compact thermoelectric module with a large endothermic amount. In the structure, the width of a p-type thermoelectric element and that of an n-type thermoelectric element are designed to be greater than the width of a lower electrode and that of an upper electrode, while the p-type thermoelectric element and the n-type thermoelectric element are disposed to protrude from the lower electrode and the upper electrode in an alignment direction on the electrodes and in a direction perpendicular to the alignment direction.